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It has been a good fortnight for royal-watchers. Two weeks ago, we had the announcement of Prince Harry's engagement to Megan Markle, with all the attendant applause and excited chatter about wedding days and dress designers that this inevitably triggered.

Now - tonight (December 8) - we have the launch of the second series of The Crown, the big-budget Netflix romp ("romp" being precisely the correct choice of word) through the life and times of our current queen, with Claire Foy as Princess/Queen Elizabeth and Matt Smith in smart, swaggering form as Prince Phillip.

There are a couple of obligatory caveats here - that the show has taken a liberty or two with hard historical fact; that it seasons its storylines with the occasional burst of sensationalism. But there is no doubt that it has been an enormous hit - on both sides of the Atlantic. And if its return to your flat-screen this evening is a cause for anticipation and excitement, then the obvious next move is to see where it was filmed.

This will be the second series of the Netflix hitCredit:
Robert Viglasky / Netflix

The following roll call is not exhaustive, but everywhere mentioned has appeared in either the first or second series - and most are open to the public. You might even refer to them as Crown-ing glories. Enough with the bad puns? Then we shall move along...

Lancaster HouseCredit:
Getty

Lancaster House

What is it? One of the most stately structures in London - a 19th century mansion built in 1825 for the then-Duke of York and Albany, the second son of George III. It was for this reason that is was first known as York House, but whatever you call it, it is a place of unabashed elegance. Upon visiting it, Queen Victoria is once said to have remarked to then-mistress of the property, the Duchess of Sutherland, that "I have come from my House to your Palace". History has not recorded whether Queen Vic smiled when she delivered these bons mots, but we can probably be confident that she didn't. Awkward.

Where is it? In a very gilded part of London - it is the last building in the south-west corner of St James's, before Green Park takes over. In fact, if you draw a south-westerly line from its garden, the next dot on the map is Buckingham Palace. Hence Victoria's (we assume) narky comment, and hence Lancaster House's regular TV roles.

Star turn as: Buckingham Palace. Obviously.

Where have I seen it before? In any number of films, but generally as Buck House - 2009's Young Victoria (starring Emily Blunt); 2010 Oscar winner The King's Speech.

Random fact: Theresa May's speech on January 17 of this year, outlining Britain's likely post-Brexit relationship with the European Union, has subsequently become known as the "Lancaster House Speech". Yes, it's the very same Lancaster House.

Details: The house was gifted to the nation in 1913, and is now in the hands of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. There is no regular public access, but it is possible to book a tour (gov.uk/government/history/lancaster-house).

Waddesdon ManorCredit:
Getty

Waddesdon Manor

What is it? A Neo-Renaissance masterpiece built between 1874 and 1889 for Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild. It was constructed as a stylish venue for entertainments and general merriment, and hosted a swirl of social engagements in the late 19th century. It stayed in the family until 1957, when it was bequeathed to the National Trust. It is now one of the group's most popular properties, pulling in some 400,000 visitors each year.

Where is it? In the village of Waddesdon, close to Aylesbury, in Buckinghamshire.

Star turn as: Buckingham Palace (exterior shots).

Where have I seen it before? Good question. Because you almost certainly have - Waddesdon Manor is a repeat offender when it comes to historical dramas. It also stood in for Buckingham Palace the 2006 movie The Queen (with Helen Mirren in the title role), and has appeared in Downton Abbey, as fictional country pile Haxby Park.

Random fact: Slightly less salubriously, Waddesdon Manor has also been part of the Carry On franchise. It was used as a location in the 1966 French Revolution caper Carry On Don't Lose Your Head. Insert an earthy Sid James cackle round about here.

Wrotham Park

What is it? An 18th century delight, built in 1754 for Admiral John Byng, a stalwart of the Royal Navy at a time when Britannia ruled the waves. The house is magnificent, but Byng had little opportunity to enjoy it. He fell from grace after losing the Battle of Minorca to the French in May 1756, and was executed by firing squad in March 1757.

Where have I seen it before? Perhaps in the first Bridget Jones film (Bridget Jones's Diary; 2001), where it plays the palatial home of the Darcys. Some of the 2004 cinema adaptation of Thackeray's Vanity Fair, starring Reese Witherspoon, was shot here too.

Quirky fact: The house burned down in 1883, but the blaze took hold so slowly that there was time to remove most of its treasures and works of art. It was rebuilt to the exact specifications of the 1754 blueprint - and is still in the hands of the Byng family.

Details: The house (wrothampark.com) is not open to the public - although, if you have a pretty penny or two to your bank account, it can be hired for private events and wedding celebrations. Cheryl and Ashley Cole had their happy nuptials blessed here in 2006 (Wrotham does not have a licence for full weddings with all the legal trimmings).

Ely CathedralCredit:
This content is subject to copyright./Rod Edwards

Ely Cathedral

What is it? One of Britain's loveliest pieces of religious architecture. There has been a church on the site since way back in 672AD - although the current cathedral dates to 1083, and the spate of temple building which followed the Norman Conquest. It is, as a result, very much of its era - a strong, sturdy structure with a main tower that hits 66m.

Where have I seen it before? Playing host to a different, earlier Queen Liz in 2007 movie Elizabeth: The Golden Age (starring Cate Blanchett); in the following year's The Other Boleyn Girl, with Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson in the key roles.

Quirky fact: The cathedral is visible in the distance on the cover of 1994 Pink Floyd album The Division Bell - the last album of newly recorded music the band released.

Wilton House

What is it? A spectacular structure which has been the home of the Earls of Pembroke for more than 400 years - although its history goes back far further than the 16th century. There was a priory on the site as early as 871AD - and by the time of the Dissolution of the Monasteries under Henry VIII (1536 onwards), Wilton was a full-blown abbey with lands and status. The current house stands in the old abbey grounds.

Where have I seen it before? In the 2005 film re-boot of Austen template Pride And Prejudice (the one with Keira Knightley as Elizabeth Bennet) - its interior was used as the drawing room of Mr Darcy's des-res Pemberley. It also stood in for a real royal residence in 1994's The Madness of King George, where it mimicked Windsor Castle.

Quirky fact: The closing credits of seminal 1986 satire Blackadder II - which sees an Elizabethan minstrel wandering through an ornate garden singing wittily abusive songs about the titular character - was shot at Wilton. So was part of the series's first episode.

Woodchester Mansion

What is it? A ghost. An empty, and romantically abandoned, property which dates to the mid-19th century. Actually, "ghost" is the wrong term, because Woodchester never lived. Construction began in 1858, but by 1870 the family behind it had run out of both the cash and the desire to see it completed. It remains much as the builders left it when they downed tools - though there is a haunting majesty to its Gothic Revival grandeur.

Where is it? Nympsfield, near Stroud, in Gloucestershire.

Star turn as: Gordonstoun, the much-respected school in Moray, north-eastern Scotland, where both the Duke of Edinburgh and the Prince of Wales were educated.

Where have I seen it before? In fewer places than you might think, given its eerie past. But it did crop up in a 2006 BBC version of Dracula, playing the vampire's ruined home rather more plausibly than Marc Warren managed to play the actual vampire.

Quirky fact: Continuing the vampire theme, the park and the house are host to a large colony of greater horseshoe bats. Don't go wandering around it at night, in other words.

Eltham Palace

What is it? A bright and brilliant corner of the British tapestry. Although there has been a house on the site since the 13th century, the current property chiefly dates to the Thirties, and is known for its Art Deco flourishes. The Entrance Hall in particular is a thing of rare beauty, with lighting flooding in through various panes of coloured glass.

Where is it? In Eltham, out in the south-eastern suburbs of London.

Star turn as: English Heritage, which now runs the property, is so delighted about its appearance in The Crown that it has released full details. "Eltham Palace stood in for a number of international and travel-themed locations," the announcement reads. "[These included] Bermuda Government House, the HMS Queen Mary, and the Queen's Quarters of the Royal Yacht. [which all appeared] in episode 8. The production also filmed in the iconic Entrance Hall, recording scenes where the Queen meets fashion designer Norman Hartnell in his studio."

Where have I seen it before? On far too many programmes to list. Look instead at the embedded video, below, for Shake It Out, a 2011 single released by Florence + The Machine. Lovingly shot, it gives a fair account of Eltham Palace's pretty demeanour.

Quirky fact: A young Henry VIII lived in the Tudor version of the palace when he was still a prince. At the time, it was surrounded by extensive grounds for hunting.

Ardverikie Estate

What is it? A pleasing slice of mist-swathed Scottish landscape wrapped around a 19th century baronial mansion. Ardverikie House began life as a hunting lodge in the 1840s, but was subsquently expanded into a striking assortment of grey-stone towers.

Where is it? Kinloch Laggan, Inverness-shire.

Star turn as: Balmoral, of course.

Where have I seen it before? In the BBC series Monarch of the Glen (2000-2005), in which Ardverikie became the fictional Glenbogle estate. It was also used in Mrs Brown, the 1997 movie which saw Judi Dench earn an Oscar nomination for her portrayal of a later-years Queen Victoria. The real Victoria stayed at the house in 1847.

Quirky fact: You can stay on the estate. Accommodation from £440 per week.